With a wide open women’s field marked more by who’s not in Paris rather than who is, this year’s French Open looks even more confusing and intriguing in terms of who will lift the Coupe de Suzanne Lenglen in two weeks time. All missing from Paris for varying reasons and with 30 combined Grand Slam singles titles between them are Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarenka. Their absences make this year’s festivities at Roland Garros anyone’s game.
As oddsmakers’ favorite and world No. 4 Simona Halep said, “about 15 players” are legitimate contenders to triumph at the second major of the season. So with more depth and parity present in the women’s game than ever before, who are the favorites and dark horses here on the terre battue of Paris?
One obvious name who comes to mind as the leading contender for this year’s French Open is 2014 finalist and back-to-back Madrid champion Simona Halep. Halep, the odds-on favorite and third seed in Paris, is 14-2 on the clay this season and with a title in Madrid and a runner-up finish to 2017 points leader Elina Svitolina last week in Rome, the Romanian is looking good as the leading contender to take home the title this upcoming fortnight.
Well…she was looking good. Despite her impressive clay-court resume and improved level and mindset on the dirt this season, question marks still surround Halep going into the second major of the season. An ankle injury sustained in the final in Rome last week left her with a partially torn ligament, making her status 50-50 (according to a recent post she made on Instagram). The former Roland Garros finalist has been practicing for the past two days but with limited movement.
Svitolina also appears to be a serious title contender. A quarterfinalist in Paris two years ago, the Ukrainian has been arguably the most in-form player so far this season. And having won the junior title at Roland Garros back in 2010, Svitolina must be confident in her ability to compete for the women’s trophy this time around.
But can she get over the hump at the top-tier events? Svitolina has a disconcerting tendency to underwhelm on the big stage, and she did not advance to the second week in Melbourne, Indian Wells, or Miami earlier this season.
Another name squarely in the conversation at Roland Garros is 2009 champion and world No. 9 Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian, who has enjoyed a solid clay-court campaign with a semifinal performance in Madrid and round of 16 appearances in Stuttgart and Rome, is a veteran of the tour and one who plays incredibly well on the clay (back-to-back quarterfinals at the French Open 2013 and 2014).
Finally, not to be overlooked is defending champion and recent Rome semifinalist Garbiñe Muguruza. The Spaniard has had a tough go of it since claiming her first Grand Slam title on Court Philippe Chatrier, enduring an up-and-down last 11 months–from first-week exits at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year to semifinal showings in Brisbane and Rome so far this season. One concern for Muguruza, who has made the second week in Paris three straight years, could be the injury bug. She has already retired four times in 2017 and was forced to stop mid-match against Svitolina in the Rome semifinals last week (neck).
If Muguruza can ride the success and confidence from Rome and remain healthy, she may be able to maintain her consistent string of second-week performances at Roland Garros–and perhaps even successfully defend the title.
As for a dark horse, home hope Kristina Mladenovic is one to watch. The Frenchwoman, who reached back-to-back finals earlier this month in Stuttgart and Madrid, has been one of the hottest players on tour in 2017. She also captured the St. Petersburg title in February and advanced to semifinals in Indian Wells and Acapulco.
With France having not boasted a home-grown champion at Roland Garros since Mary Pierce in 2000, the pressure and attention on Mladenovic will be massive. But if the No. 7 in the race to Singapore can feed off the boisterous French crowd and refuse to buckle under the weight of expectations, she could be a very strong second-week pick in Paris.
Thomas contributes to multiple tennis outlets, including The Grandstand and Cross Court TV. You can follow him on Twitter for daily tennis coverage of both the ATP and WTA at @Thomas_cluck917.
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